First, thanks to everyone who took part in the day, listened to the shows and contributed. We feel it was a huge success and while some of the shows are a little rough around the edges they’ve been great starting points for shows we’re now developing for broadcasters.

In case you missed the day, below you’ll find a short description of what went out and some audio ‘highlights’ that you can listen to. We must stress that these shows were live and all of them used genuine audience interaction.  We recognise that these are not the polished programmes that you would expect to hear on the radio, but they were a great launch pad and we’re now developing them using the learnings from the Play Radio day.

The Paylist:

The Paylist Highlights by SEPlayRadio

This was a themed music show where the listeners submitted their topical five-track ‘Paylist’ on to the show’s Facebook page. Listeners were then invited to vote for their favourite Paylist, with the most popular being broadcast.

You Can Not Be Serious

You Can Not Be Serious Highlights by SEPlayRadio

‘You Cannot Be Serious’ was an irreverent, interactive sports quiz show presented by Ruth Barnes and Pete Donaldson. This wasn’t your normal ‘Who won the World Cup in 1994′ quiz; Each multiple choice question was preceded by an audio clip – such as identify the tennis player’s grunt, or work out which famous goal the six year old is describing. Participants entered their answers via an online answer card and the winner was announced at the end of the show.

The People’s Broadcast

The People’s Broadcast Highlights by SEPlayRadio

This was an audience sourced magazine show. Earlier in the week, before broadcast Steve Ackerman, MD of Somethin’ Else, was interviewed about the recent news that BBC 6 Music had been ‘saved’ by the BBC trust, and his opinions on what that means for digital radio and the BBC’s digital strategy. Listeners were then invited to listen to the interview in full and give their feedback and ask follow up questions.  Steve then joined the presenter, Jez Nelson, live in the studio during the Play Radio day and the listener’s questions were put to Steve along with the relevant parts of his original interview.

Date Radio

Date Radio Highlights by SEPlayRadio

Date Radio gave single guys and girls a chance to find a date… and maybe love. On the Play Radio day, singleton Sarah Jane was invited in to the studio to find someone to go on a date with. Prospective lotharios submitted their profiles online and then a shortlist of 4 men were chosen. Each of the potential dates called in to the show and tried to win Sarah Jane’s affections, while the listeners voted and passed judgment online. It was a very happy Rob who got chosen by Sarah Jane in the end.

Play Radio News

Play Radio News Highlights by SEPlayRadio

Play Radio News, presented by Ben Chancellor, delivered a wry, comical look at the week’s news & big stories.  In the lead up to the show the audience were invited to suggest news stories they’d found interesting via Twitter & Facebook. Ben and his co-horts (Danny Robbins, Alex Perry and Jesse Morgan) then picked the best stories to discuss on air. Listeners could also interact with the news team during the show with their thoughts and comments on the stories being discussed.

Play For The Day That…

Play For The Day That… Highlights by SEPlayRadio

Play For the Day That… was an improvised radio comedy drama in three acts, where the audience were able to shape the way that the drama unfolded live on air.

The audience were invited to decide who the characters were in advance of the live broadcast, as well as where it was set and on what day… Comedy was most definitely at the heart of this drama.

The audience determined that our four characters were made up of a private secretary to the Queen who only had a few days to live, a bird spotter who burnt down their school when they were younger, a psychic Kleptomaniac and a necrophiliac who was attracted to Gary Glitter!

Our actors certainly had a lot to work with but that wasn’t where it ended. With all these character and set locations in place the listeners could take the drama in any direction they wanted by submitting words, images and sentences that they wanted incorporated into the dialogue as the play was on air.

With interaction as integral as the comedy aspect, we really did end up in some very bizarre and hilarious situations, who would have thought Jeremy Kyle would turn up at Michael Jackson’s funeral!?

As we said, all these ideas are currently in development into fully-fledged radio shows. If you have any questions about the day or any of the shows then please get in touch with Tom Koenig (tom.koenig@somethinelse.com) or Sam Cocker (sam.cocker@somethinelse.com).

Now’s the stage in this process where we go away and assess the success of each show and see if they can be developed into full, polished shows that you can hear on a regular radio station. As part of this we’d love to get your feedback. What worked? What didn’t? What made you laugh? What made you cringe?

Post your your comments below this post.

(FYI: You can only see Studio 1. Studio 2, where Pay List is being broadcast, is unavailable. Apologies)

See you tomorrow at 12pm.

The People’s Broadcast does just that. We interview the people YOU WANT US to interview on the subject YOU WANT to know about.

These interviews are then uploaded online, in their entirety prior to the broadcast for you to get the real scoop.

Have we asked the right questions? Do you agree with their answers? Comment on the audio, ask more questions, start the debate.

The live show…

The subject of our first (and only) live show is: The BBC’s Digital Strategy. An interview with Steve Ackerman will be uploaded on our Facebook fan page.  His many years of experience in the radio industry and running Somethin’ Else has given him a real expertise in this area… Listen, comment then tune in LIVE on Wednesday 7th as he faces your comments and questions directed at him by legendary broadcaster* Jez Nelson. There will also be a chat room and a Twitter for you to take part on the day.

Get involved – Monday afternoon and LISTEN LIVE on Wednesday at 3pm.

Please Note:
The original topic of the People’s Broadcast was meant to be about the closure of BBC 6Music. Because of the BBC’s announcement about the saving of 6Music yesterday we have had to change the topic of the show at the last minute, meaning the interview will be available a little later than planned.

- Date Radio
- Paylist
- You Can Not Be Serious
- Paylist
- Play For The Day That… Pt1
- Paylist
- Play For The Day That… Pt2
- Paylist
- Play For The Day That… Pt3
- Paylist
- Play Radio News
- Paylist
- The People’s Broadcast

And here’s a little disclaimer:

When listening to Play Radio please bear in mind that all the shows are still in the pilot stage. These are not intended to be finished, polished shows and so may be a little rough around the edges.  You may also only hear short segments of a bigger show. We have also not had time to set up flashy websites for all these shows, so some of the interaction devices may be more simplistic than you would expect if this was on a normal radio station.  But the whole point of the Play Radio day is to do something new & exciting, and hopefully you’ll enjoy it regardless.

Tune in on Wednesday 7th July to check it out.

Have you ever wanted to listen to an interview in full before it’s broadcast? What have they cut out? What don’t they want you to hear?
The People’s Broadcast does just that. We interview the people you want us to interview on a subject you want to know about. These interviews are then uploaded onto our facebook fan page in their entirety prior to the broadcast and we want your feedback. Have we asked the right questions? Do you agree with their view?
During the live show, the guest will be back in the studio answering the questions YOU raised. You are directing the flow of the show.

You Can Not Be Serious is an interactive sports quiz show presented by Ruth Barnes and Pete Donaldson. This isn’t your normal ‘who won the world cup in 1994′ type of quiz, you will be expected to identify grunts and work out which famous goal a six year old is describing! Players will listen to the questions on air & answer online, with great prizes to win for the overall winner.

Tune in: Wednesday 7th July.